Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
It is already five months since Theresa May triggered Article 50, thereby serving the mandatory two years’ notice for Britain to leave the EU on 29 March, 2019 writes David Bulk for Yahoo Finance.
In that time there have been limited proposals formulated in terms of policy documentation – especially by the UK government.
The EU side certainly knows what it wants and most of what we hear this side of the Channel from Juncker, Verhofstadt and Barnier are edicts and demands.
Well, Britain’s very own Brexit triumvirate of May, Davis and Fox are back at work from their summer holidays; so let battle commence!
MORE: 5 things the UK needs to maintain a Green Brexit
MORE: Frankfurt and Dublin set to sweep bank jobs away from UK
The word on the street is that, despite discussion papers on transition periods for customs unions and plans to maintain equilibrium (or near enough the status quo in the case of Ireland and Northern Ireland), the UK government is a mile behind the curve in terms of preparation.
The fact that the Government, after a disastrous general election, has no overall majority, inevitably means that a ‘hard’ Brexit – or a ‘hard-nosed’ plan – should be no longer on the table for discussion.
Continue here to read the full article on Yahoo Finance || August 22, 2017 |||
The first round of long-awaited talks on modernizing NAFTA finished Sunday, with Canada, Mexico and the United States issuing a statement that they had made "detailed conceptual presentations" of their positions. Negotiators from the three countries will meet again in Mexico on September 1 to continue trying to revise the trade pact. But while all say they are keen to see a new deal emerge, they still have to navigate the political risks attached to any commercial agreement.
Donald Trump´s promise to renegotiate trade deals was a key plank of his "America First" campaign platform. One of his first acts in the White House was to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with countries in Asia-Pacific and the Americas, including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Meanwhile, negotiations between Washington and the European Union for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have not resumed since Barack Obama left office.
Speculation now centers on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement, typically seen by many economists as at least a qualified success story. Since 1994, trade between the United States, Mexico and Canada has more than tripled, forming a trading bloc with a combined GDP of around 20 trillion dollars.
However, prominent representatives of both the left and right, from Bernie Sanders and Ralph Nader to Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan, have long criticized the agreement for contributing to a hollowing out of the country´s manufacturing industry and lost U.S. jobs, partly because of increased trade deficits with Mexico and Canada. Right-wingers also accuse NAFTA of undermining U.S. sovereignty and opening up the United States to what they see as an increasing threat from drugs, crime and immigration from Mexico.
From a different standpoint, even some previous advocates of NAFTA have become less enthusiastic about the deal. This is partly because the three countries have been unable to fully address challenging issues like tightened border security.
NAFTA is also seen to have stalled because Mexico, Canada and the United States have increasingly preferred to push bilateral solutions rather than addressing opportunities and problems trilaterally. A key rationale for the prevailing lack of triliteralism in the continent is that the NAFTA architects from Canada and Mexico wanted to curb EU-type political institution building they feared would lead to a Brussels-style bureaucracy dominated by Washington.
Equally, Washington has generally disliked the idea of developing any pan-North American political institutions that could rein in U.S. autonomy.
Trump jumped into this cauldron of criticism in the 2016 election campaign by calling NAFTA "the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere, but certainly ever signed in this country." In key electoral states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, his championing of an anti-international trade agenda helped win him significant support last November. (In April, Trump told Reuters that he had been "psyched" to terminate NAFTA, but changed his mind after Canada and Mexico asked for it to be renegotiated instead.)
Many U.S. businesses have urged that forthcoming negotiations should not jeopardize existing market access, and that the key negotiating principle should, in the words of United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, be to "do no harm." Now the USTR and the administration must assess exactly how much overhaul is politically necessary to meet the expectations generated by Trump´s statement that "we´re going to make some very big changes or we are going to get rid of NAFTA once and for all."
The renegotiations have high political stakes for Canada and Mexico too. If agreement cannot be reached before the Mexican presidential election on July 1, 2018, negotiators could have to deal with NAFTA skeptic and current poll favorite Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The left-wing populist has positioned himself as a critic of Trump and the U.S. president´s "campaign of hatred" against Mexico since the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
Uncertainty over NAFTA, the TPP and Trump´s trade policies in general, could create a significant political vacuum. That, in turn, could give China a gap to exploit - a gap Beijing is waiting to take. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baoding said last year, "protectionism is rearing its ugly head...China believes we should set up a new plan to...sustain momentum for the early establishment of free trade areas."
Beijing´s alternative vision includes a Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific (FTAAP), a long-term goal to link Pacific Rim economies from China to Chile that has been debated since 2004. In the shorter term, Beijing is also pushing a free trade pact, for which discussions have been underway since 2012, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). That would include the 10 ASEAN members plus India, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, but not the United States.
RCEP, which is smaller in scope to FTAAP, would create one of the largest free trade zones in the world. Collectively, RCEP countries account for around a quarter of global GDP, and some 46 percent of the global population.
While Chinese President Xi Jinping has asserted that RCEP and FTAAP do not "go against existing free trade arrangements," Beijing and Washington have for years had contrasting visions of shaping the regional order through formulation of NAFTA and TPP on one hand, and RCEP and FTAA on the other. From China´s perspective, RCEP and FTAAP would be more conducive to its national interests.
This is not least because, unlike TPP, Beijing would be explicitly part of the new economic agreements and able to shape their design by creating trade deals with China at the center. Reflecting this, former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman has despaired that Washington will now "be left on the sidelines as others move forward."
Continued uncertainty over Trump´s trade stance will only increase the prospects of China taking the lead in the competition for regional trade integration. This will potentially not just consolidate Beijing´s own regional power and its global political and economic influence, but also damage hard-won U.S. credibility with its local and international trading allies. No wonder that many in Washington recognize a lot is at stake in the NAFTA talks, and that a great deal of effort will be required in coming months to see a breakthrough. (Reporting by Andrew Hammond)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4811154/Commentary-The-elephant-room-NAFTA-talks.html#ixzz4qTJwoPwHFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook || August 21, 2017 |||
Britain has set out proposals to ensure that goods and services currently approved for sale across the UK and EU can continue to be traded after Brexit.
The plans published by Brexit Secretary David Davis were welcomed by business leaders as an improvement on EU proposals which would require separate regulatory processes on either side of the Channel from the day after UK withdrawal.
Mr Davis said the UK was now ready to begin a "formal dialogue" on elements of the future UK-EU trade relationship, such as customs.
But Brussels indicated it will continue to resist UK pressure to bring forward trade talks, insisting they must wait until after sufficient progress has been made on the divorce deal - something which one EU leader said could drag on beyond the autumn.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar told The Guardian: "I think that the process will definitely take more time than we expected at the start of the negotiations.
"There are so many difficult topics on the table, difficult issues there, that one cannot expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place."
But Downing Street said it remained "confident" of making enough progress on the issues of citizens' rights, the financial settlement and borders for the European Council to give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations when it meets in Brussels in October.
Mr Davis's new position paper comes ahead of the third round of formal negotiations in the Belgian capital next week, and is expected to be followed in the coming days by further documents on issues like post-Brexit judicial co-operation, dispute resolution and data protection.
His Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) said the UK's proposals were designed to smooth the way to "the freest and most frictionless trade possible" under a new partnership with the EU.
But Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake dismissed them as a "fantasy wishlist", adding: "Nothing would provide businesses and consumers with more certainty than staying in the single market and customs union.
"That is the option this Government should be pursuing if it was serious about protecting jobs and free trade."
Britain's proposals envisage all goods placed on the market before Brexit day continuing to be sold in the UK and EU without extra restrictions or requirements after withdrawal, and state that the same principle should apply to services relating to these goods.
Approvals granted for products like cars to be sold across the EU should remain valid, and arrangements should be made to ensure continued oversight of the safety and regulatory compliance of goods like medicines.
With EU exports to the UK totalling more than £250 billion in 2016, DExEU argued that this approach would avoid "unnecessary disruption" during the move to new long-term arrangements.
A "narrow" approach to goods like agricultural products or food would risk "significant legal uncertainty and potential disruption for businesses and consumers both in the UK and the EU", the paper warned.
A separate paper recommended a reciprocal agreement on continued confidentiality for official documents shared by Britain with its EU partners while it was a member state.
Mr Davis said the papers provide "certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the EU" and make clear that " our separation from the EU and future relationship are inextricably linked".
He added: "We have already begun to set out what we would like to see from a future relationship on issues such as customs and are ready to begin a formal dialogue on this and other issues."
European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said the publication of position papers was " a positive step towards now really starting the process of negotiations".
But he said any early move to talks on trade would have to be agreed by the 27 remaining EU states, adding: "There is a very clear structure in place, set by the EU27, about how these talks should be sequenced and that is exactly what we think should be happening now.
"The important thing is to realise that the clock is ticking, that we have no time to lose and that we need to get on with it."
The CBI said the UK paper was a "significant improvement" on EU proposals which would create a "severe cliff-edge" for goods currently on the market.
But director of campaigns John Foster said the simplest way to reassure companies was f or the UK to "stay in the single market and a customs union until a comprehensive new deal is in force".
The director of EU affairs at manufacturers' trade body the EEF, Fergus McReynolds, said: "The Government's position is helpful as it reaffirms the concerns of the manufacturing sector to secure the continuity of goods and supply of services from 2019 onwards. Industry now wants to see this resolved as quickly as possible."
And Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "Businesses here in the UK as well as on the continent will welcome the British Government's desire to maintain maximum continuity in the way goods are traded when the UK withdraws from the EU."
Ukip business spokesman Christopher Mills said: "As far as these proposals go, they appear sensible. Businesses on both sides of the Channel are looking towards the politicians to act responsibly. Today the UK has - over to you, Brussels."
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "These papers come months after the EU published their plans and offer precious little new information or concrete proposals.
"It is increasingly clear that the Government are publishing bland, non-committal papers as a smokescreen to mask their failure to make any meaningful progress on phase one's core negotiating issues - including citizens' rights.
"Instead of preparing the ground for failure, the Government should focus on reaching an early agreement to the first stage of talks and make an early commitment to establish strong transitional arrangements."
| A BelfastTelegraph release ||
National is promising to deliver New Zealand's boldest-ever trade push if it wins the election, creating "shiploads of jobs" and giving the economy a multi-billion dollar boost.
Trade spokesman Todd McClay says a National-led government will work to unlock markets with 2.5 billion new consumers for the benefit of large and small exporters in every region.
"This new trade access will create shiploads of jobs and be worth billions of dollars to our economy and businesses across the country," he said on Tuesday.
Most of the initiatives Mr McClay is committing to following through have already been announced and some, including TPP11, are under negotiation.
National leader Bill English, who was with Mr McClay to make the announcement in Auckland, said it was the first time the entire list of trade initiatives had been brought together.
"We hope to have significant success to help the export sector," he said.
"Labour wants to renegotiate TPP11 - if that happened, it would mean the end of it."
The list of targets for "high-quality and comprehensive" free trade agreements include:
* The European Union
* The United Kingdom (following Brexit)
* Sri Lanka
* Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay & Uruguay
Negotiations to be completed are:
* The Trans Pacific Partnership 11
* Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru (The Pacific Alliance)
Existing agreements to be upgraded with:
* China
* Singapore
* The Association of South East Asian Nations.
Mr McClay told reporters the European Union FTA negotiations could start later this year and he wanted to complete all those that are underway within the next three years.
"We can't say we will take five or 10 years to negotiate deals... this isn't too ambitious."
| A Beehive release || August 21, 2017 |||
Brexit and Ireland Britain's troubled relationship with the island next door is a problem again.
Theresa May's government has urged the European Union to allow British businesses to continue to enjoy the benefits of the free trade of goods into Europe after Britain has left the EU. Brexit secretary David Davis said:"These papers will help give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the European Union".
The Government is to publish more details of its negotiation plans for Brexit later this week. "We've published recently just in the last few days a number of papers that set out our thinking on some of those key issues for the future relationship".
Slovenia's prime minister Miro Cerar told the Guardian newspaper in an interview that not enough progress had been made to move onto discussing a trade deal, in a blow to the government, who want to begin trade talks alongside negotiations over the UK's withdrawal.
"There are so many hard topics on the table, hard issues there, that one can not expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place".
The European Council will decide in October if "sufficient progress" has been made in discussions so far.
"That is our aim and we are confident that we are working at a pace to be able to get to that point".
Britain is pressing Brussels to begin early talks on a long-term trade deal as part of the negotiations over the terms of Brexit.
But sources said it was up for negotiation whether ECJ rulings will apply in the two or three year transition period after 2019.
A New Zealand/UK dual national with more than 25 years' experience, Falconer will lead trade policy and the development of negotiation capability and will serve as an ambassador for Dr Fox's Department for International Trade. "So, never mind Theresa May's foolish red line; we will have the ECJ in all but name".
The proposal, unveiled in The Times today, could allow Theresa May to square the circle of getting Britain out from under the control of the ECJ while protecting free trade in the EU's single market.
The Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake MP said: "David Davis promised us "the row of the summer" over the Brexit timetable, only to capitulate weeks later to the EU's preferred timetable after a disastrous general election for his party which vastly undermined their negotiating position".
| A Hightech Beacon release || August 21, 2017 |||
The Government has today outlined new measures to promote a more competitive economy, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jacqui Dean says.
“Competition is one of the key drivers of economic success which is why the Government is focused on creating a competitive economy which delivers results and choice for New Zealanders,” Ms Dean says.
“The Business Growth Agenda Paper, Promoting Competition, which I am releasing today sets out what actions we’re taking to lift competition for the benefit of New Zealand’s consumers.”
The Government has agreed on three broad areas of focus:
“New Zealand’s competition law and our Commerce Commission are important contributors to domestic competition, and are well regarded internationally and we are continuing to build on that.
“Other recent measures include passing the Commerce (Cartels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill last week which deters anticompetitive cartel behaviour.
“And following a review of the Commerce Act, the Government is progressing legislation to allow the Commerce Commission to undertake market studies to ensure markets are operating effectively,” Ms Dean says.
Read Promoting Competition here: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/business/business-growth-agenda/pdf-and-image-library/2017-documents/promoting-competition.pdf
| A Beehive release || August 15, 2017 |||
US-based packaging and equipment solutions provider Volm Companies has opened its new 90000ft² distribution facility in Pasco, Washington.
The new distribution center is situated at 5702 Industrial Way in Pasco, which is close to the old location.
The facility will enable the business growth by providing warehouse space for inventory, LENO manufacturing equipment, equipment and parts area and increased office space.
Volm Companies president and CEO Daniel Mueller said: “We came to the Tri-Cities area in 2007 through an acquisition, and since then we’ve been so impressed by how welcoming the area has been.
"It’s inspiring to us as a company and pushes us, and without you, we wouldn’t have been able to have dedicated ourselves to this area like we are today. We also want to thank the City, giving us a lot of help throughout this process and MH Construction because this is a pretty impressive building and they have done a quality job the whole way through.”
Volm Companies specializes in food packaging, packaging equipment, custom packaging, technical mesh and erosion control.
Established in 1954 and having a workforce of over 500 people, the company offers complete expert packaging consulting services, that include package design, graphic development and full line equipment integration.
Volm Companies partnered with New Zealand-based Wyma Solutions in May 2017 to generate turn-key solutions, which will leverage the global experience of both the firms.
In November 2016, Volm Companies collaborated with weighing and packing machines manufacturer Manter International to provide innovative solutions.
| A PackagingBR release || August 16, 2017 |||
New Zealand’s new Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran is Hamish MacMaster, Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today.
“New Zealand has a long-standing trade and economic relationship with Iran, established with the opening of our Embassy in Tehran in 1975,” Mr Brownlee says.
“Since the easing of United Nations sanctions in 2016 there has been increased interest in the Iranian market by New Zealand exporters.
“Exports last year were $151 million and the first export of New Zealand lamb in decades was sent to Iran in May.
“There is real scope for the further diversification of our trade relationship with Iran and New Zealand’s new Ambassador will play a key role in supporting this,” Mr Brownlee says.
Mr MacMaster is currently the New Zealand Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and has previously been posted to Turkey and Iran.
Mr MacMaster will also be accredited to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
| A Beehive release || August 15, 2017 |||
Kiwi companies are queueing up to do business with Vietnam and other similar sized Asian countries, a leading New Zealand tech businessman says.
Mitchell, chair of NZTech, FinTechNZ and a New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) beachheads advisor in technology business for the ASEAN region, has just returned from a major Kiwi business exploration trip to Vietnam.
Pham has also been advising the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
He says Kiwi tech sector must be an active part of the New Zealand story, presence and engagement in South East Asia to gain more brand awareness and business traction in the region.“We had huge engagement from the Vietnamese market. Everyone was interested in what New Zealand has to offer across the board,” he says
“But it is critical for Kiwi companies to follow-through after these visits to progress relationships into business. Sadly, not enough companies follow through in the past, which resulted in business contacts in the region who went all out to engage with visiting delegations ending up feeling let down by us afterwards.
“As far as Kiwi technology goes. We are not an island. It would be smart and important to be there alongside other NZ industry sectors which have been doing business development in Asia for much longer and therefore are bigger, stronger, better known, more visible, more active and more connected in the region.”
Pham says the Kiwi Connection Tech Hub in Ho Chi Minh City and Augen Software Group in New Zealand have been working with University of Auckland, the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council (ANZBC), AUT university, KEA, Asia NZ Foundation, NZTE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, the NZ Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and other businesses to grow trade in Vietnam.
“This latest trip which has only just ended was the largest ever NZ Inc. collaboration and contingent to the ASEAN region.
“This has resulted in more than 80 leading Kiwi business entrepreneurs, executives, managers and educators across different industry sectors visited and engaged with the Vietnam market, some also went on to Thailand.
“Businesses in the group included Augen, AUT, GlidePath and new entrants to the region such as MEO-Air and Fluent Scientific.
“Vietnam continues to grow in income and consumption appetite for food and beverages, fast-moving consumer goods. Other high-growth industries include traditional and high-tech manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, transport and logistics.
“All of these sectors require technology and know-how to support their rapid growth and advancement, so there are many opportunities for Kiwi tech businesses who serve these sectors back home or elsewhere.
“It is vital that Kiwi businesses do their market research and engage in rigorous on-the-ground validation of their target customers in the region,” Pham says.
Vietnam has a population of about 95 million and 60 percent of its people are younger than 30 years old. It has the fastest growth in internet connections and number of mobile users in the ASEAN region. Ho Chi Minh City is the geographic epicentre of the region’s centres of commerce and industry.
| From the MSCTravel reporters' desk with MakeLemonade and FinTechNZ || August 15, 2017 |||
Wellington Drive announces exclusive agreement with Alaska Refrigeration for the sales and distribution of its SCS Connect system in Vietnam.
Alaska Refrigeration www.alaska.vn is a refrigeration equipment manufacturer and distributor based in Vietnam, supplying a wide range of appliances for domestic and commercial applications.
Wellington’s CEO, Greg Allen said; "The agreement with Alaska is another indication of the increasing importance of Wellington’s brand and its SCS solutions in the Asia Pacific market. As the profile of SCS has grown with large global soft drink and beverage brands we are seeing increasing opportunities in new countries across the broader food and beverage market. This agreement with Alaska is consistent with our regional partnership model and utilises Alaska’s local knowledge and technical resources to service Vietnamese customers and support our mutual regional growth plans."
Commercial refrigeration systems fitted with Wellington Drive’s SCS Connect refrigeration controller already lead the way in Smarter Cooler technology. Wellington’s SCS platform and Smarter Cooler tool-set provides the commercial refrigeration market with fleet management systems and the data needed to improve the effectiveness of cooler fleets. They offer a beacon management platform and other location based digital marketing technologies to engage and interact with consumers at their point of purchase in front of the cooler.
| A WDT release || August 14, 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
|
|